IPI pipeline agreement by mid-July: Deora

The petroleum minister says India expects to finalise an agreement on the tri-nation pipeline by mid-July.

India expects to finalise an agreement on the tri-nation pipeline that will bring natural gas from Iran via Pakistan by the middle of next month, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said on Wednesday.

"On (June) 27th there is a bilateral meeting and on 28th and 29th there are trilateral meetings in New Delhi. We have to strike the deal by mid-July," Deora said on the sidelines of a function in Noida on Wednesday.

India and Pakistan officials are expected to meet on June 27 to sort out differences on transportation tariff and transit fee payable by New Delhi to Islamabad for allowing passage of the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline to India.

This would be followed by an official-level meeting between the three countries on June 28-29.

A ministerial-level meeting is expected later in July, when the three countries could ink an Framework Agreement on the over seven-billion-dollar pipeline.

The 2,300-km long pipeline will initially carry around 60 million cubic meters of gas per day, split equally between India and Pakistan.

Deora had on June 18 said discussions were on with Iran and Pakistan on prices and how the pipeline would be brought to India. He had also said major issues had been sorted out while pending issues like transportation fees and alignment would be worked out soon.